Digital Influence

I’ve recently run out of shampoo and conditioner and I have been wonder what brand I should buy. I’ve been told that the salon brands are the best. The problem is that there are so many brands out there on the market that I don’t know which one to choose from. That was until I read “Redken Video Game Beckons Girls to Hair Salons,” by Kayleen Schaefer. Most salon styling products do not use advertising. The consumer knows the quality of the product from getting serviced in the salons. That has changed in regards to Redken.

Redken has come up with a completely new way of advertising their products; through video games. Nintendo, as of Tuesday, November 2, has launched the newest and most unconventional role-playing game. It’s called Busy Scissors and is targeted at girls between the ages of eight to sixteen. With the launch of this game, Redken hopes that teenagers will put down the at-home, drug store products and begin coming to the salon to get their hair done.

Redken plans to advertise this product at their salons. Customers will be able to play the game while waiting to be seen. They will also be giving opportunities for customers to win the game, or even a Wii console. According to the article, the main “hurdle to get over” is the fact that the game is on a console, not online. If the game were to be online, consumers could establish a network with other users.

This was a very innovative and clever way for Redken to advertise, versus just using the products in the salons. This way, girls can have the products at home with them and actually use them, in the video game that is. When girls play this video game and are able to see the variety of products and how they work, they will be more inclined to want to have the very same products used on their hair.

Companies and brands are constantly looking for ways to better advertise their products. Based on what has been discussed in class lately, Redken has taken the best one of the smartest steps toward selling their products. This decision is one that media professionals should pay close attention to, especially competitive salon products. Not only are Redken’s products going to be in the salons but at the hands of teenagers as well, in their homes. Not to mention that the Busy Scissors market is aimed directly at generation y. I would buy it.

I predict that in the future, there will fames for every career under the sun. Redken is encouraging teens to become stylists and use their products. Soon, there will be games for people who want to be therapist or psychologists. They will be able to learn how to talk to their patients and how to diagnose them. It would not surprise me to see video games like these involved in the curriculum of many majors in college. It is the best way to get a first-hand experience without actually getting the hands-on practice.